site.btaBulgaria's Alcohol, Tobacco Prices Lowest in EU in 2023

In 2023, the EU's lowest alcohol and tobacco prices were recorded in Bulgaria (66% of the EU average), Poland (77%) and Romania (85%), Eurostat reported on Thursday.

The price level for alcohol and tobacco was 3.2 times higher in Ireland, the most expensive country, than in Bulgaria, the least expensive. Meanwhile, the highest levels were recorded in Ireland (211%), Finland (170%) and Denmark (133%). This large price variation is mainly due to differences in taxation of these products.

In 2023, the price levels for household final consumption expenditure differed widely across the EU. The lowest levels were registered in Bulgaria and Romania (60% each) and Poland (66%). The highest price levels were recorded in Denmark (143% of the EU average), Ireland (142%) and Luxembourg (135%). 

Restaurants and hotels ranked second in terms of price level difference, with the lowest price levels registered in Bulgaria (52% of the EU average), Romania (65%) and Hungary (72%) and the highest in Denmark (152%), Finland (129%) and Ireland (128%).

Clothing ranked third in terms of price level variation, with Spain (81%), Bulgaria (82%) and Hungary (88%) registering the cheapest clothing prices, while the most expensive were in Denmark (131%), Czechia (126%) and Estonia (118%).